need to vent...thanks for listening guys......

Matt , Never a problem , Bro vent on ! Rich This is SFC Matthew N. Davis, currently in Iraq, with more news and headlines. Some of you might not want

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, Mar 1 8:36 AM

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Matt , Never a problem , Bro' vent on ! Rich

This is SFC Matthew N. Davis, currently in Iraq, with more news and headlines. Some of you might not want to read this stuff because you are fed up with the war already (is it a war?). Since my R/R leave in December (I have been home for a total of 18 days since April 2006) my feelings on this conflict have changed. This is mostly due to messages that I get from various sources. The Iraqi government is corrupt from the Minister of Health to the highest levels of government. Al-Maliki cannot crack down on his own Shiite party and won't, after having sent all the leadership, and other groups, down south to wait it out. As I stated earlier hospitals, schools, mosques, morgues, and homes are being used to store ammo and weapons. Ambulances are transporting the same through checkpoints and observation posts, and the Ministry of Health knows this. Iraqi guards at checkpoints let insurgents through with no problem, having made deals with them or being terrorized. The Iraqi guard force at Baghdad International Airport has insurgents working on it, and they are planning to blow up airplanes or buildings. Local city governments are being coerced to hide weapons and personnel, or risk getting taken out. Coalition Forces uniforms and weapons are being stolen and sold on the black market, and even worse are being used to infiltrate posts and garrisons (what happened at Karbala). This includes body armor. One search team found a warehouse with enough stuff to outfit a battalion!! The insurgents are getting training from Hezbollah and other radical groups from Iran and Syria, along with new shoulder launched ground to air ordnance. The RPG-29, latest of the RPGs, is being imported into Iraq and it can defeat all known coalition armor. Also there are local factories that can produce the neccessary elements for the new armor penetrating IED, and assistance is provided by outside countries. You ask me why I have changed my mind? That is why. This war is not winnable, and it is not because the Coalition Forces aren't battle ready. We are fighting beliefs and ideals that are beyond our comprehension, let alone the rampant corruption present throughout this hell hole. To protect the Blackhawks transporting personnel and supplies there are Apache gunships along for the ride. Will that work? It will for a little while until the insurgents adapt again. Baghdad, and other cities, has small groups of fighters left whose main job is to exact as much damage and death upon our forces, as we execute the crackdown. Yet civilians are still being slaughtered despite any crackdown. Also the insurgents have let loose with chemical attacks (albeit small) that use Ammonia and Chlorine. They will get better at it over time. I am as patriotic as any American and have been wearing the uniform since 1981, when I perfected my Infantry skills with 1/39 Inf in Baumholder. We are not cowards, or afraid of all this carnage. The American soldier is still the best in the world and is tough and resilient. The body count will continue to climb and more soldiers (male and female) will not see thier next birthday. That does piss me off. We are wasting our highly trained combat forces on this country, and the replacements are not ready yet. They have to be trained and indoctrinated. There not enough combat troops available to keep feeding into this meat grinder, and be ready for the next conflict. The shortage of combat leadership is apparent and that is not good. Equipment is breaking down at a high rate and being replaced by equipment from forces in the states. That in turn ensures the stateside soldiers don't have any equipment to train with. Forces are being rushed into Iraq before completing their required stateside training and that means they will have to adapt over here (if they haven't deployed already). I am finished now and if some of you are upset about this narrative and my venting, then sorry about that. I still have six months to go over here and hopefully myself and soldiers will make it through alright. We are strong and doing our duty as American soldiers. Never sell us short and keep up your wonderful and needed support for us over here. I just felt that the government is not being forthcoming with all the facts, and things are not well over here at all. Keep your e mails coming. Rich- sorry about this long narrative. Matt Davis (1/39 Inf "4-deuce")

If you don't stand behind our troops...please, feel free to stand in FRONT of them!!!